Dear Sam Houston,

     We have studied you in history for about two months now!  This is Byrin,

Brandon, Alex, and Ken in Mrs. Ingram's class.  We want to ask you a couple of questions.  Why didn't you cancel your meeting to go to the war?  Why didn't you let your soldiers fire at Santa Anna's troops?  After the war was over did you become Mayor and Vice President?  How did you become so famous in Texas?

                                          PLEASE answer our

                                          questions,

                                           Byrin, Brandon, Alex, and Ken!

Dear Byrin, Brandon, Alex, and Ken,

Here are the answers to your questions.

Q.  Why didn't you cancel your meeting to go to the war?

I was one of 59 delegates to a convention that began on March 1, 1836,

at Washington-on-the-Brazos when we received the news that Santa Anna

had laid siege to the Alamo.  Some of the men at the convention wanted

to leave there and go to the aid of the Alamo.

                A part of me shared their desire to help our fellow Texians and

Tejanos.  However I realized that 59 more men at the Alamo would have

helped very little.  On the other hand, we could do much more good for

Texas by declaring independence and creating a government.  Only then

would we be in a real war for freedom.  Otherwise we would just be a

disorganized mob, and we would have no chance of winning.  

Q.  Why didn't you let your soldiers fire at Santa Anna's troops?

A.  At the battle of San Jacinto, my men did a lot of firing at the

Mexican troops before I made them stop.  I stopped them because we had

won the battle and the enemy was retreating.  My army killed almost half

of Santa Anna's force and captured most of the rest.

Q.  After the war was over did you become Mayor and Vice President?

A.  I was never Mayor or Vice President.  After the war I was elected

the first President of the new Republic of Texas that we had created.  I

held that office twice.  In 1845, when Texas joined the United States, I

was elected a U. S. Senator and sent off to Washington City.  Many years

later I returned and was elected Governor of Texas. 

Q.  How did you become so famous in Texas?

A.  As a former governor of Tennessee, I was somewhat famous before I

came to Texas.  After I got here I became involved in politics.  I

served as commander-in-chief of the Texas army, then president of the

Republic, then U. S. senator, and then governor.  That made me pretty

famous. 

Regards,

Gen'l Sam Houston